Northface isn't. But Helly Henson is. It's so good it's to DIE for.

I wear it because the arms are sooo long, which perfect for my 5'11" frame. The same is not true is ll bean or Columbia. I've tried them both

I have several fleece and non-fleece NF jackets for my kids and on every single one the zipper broke. You can send them back for repair, but that takes the jacket out of circulation for 3 weeks. Now I buy LLBean and if something goes wrong, k now I can go to the mall and get a new one, no questions asked. Never buying NF again. BTW, Columbia became the new NF, and seems like Mountain Hardwear is the new Columbia (but pricey!)

The only thing that is worst than a fake north face jacket is a real north face jacket. Read this once. The problem with north face is that it is no better than any other product of it's type, just more expensive. OutdoorGearlab rates a cheaper columbia whilibird to be superior to the north face triclimate parka.

NF products that were made 10, 15, 20 years ago were well made compare to the products today. However, their technical gears are different hence the higher price.

My teen has worn her fleece NF for 3 years, practically living in it in cool months. Compare that to shirts she buys that she dislikes after wearing 3 times. Despite the ridiculous price tag, it's been a good investment for her.

Thanks for the guarantee tip. One of the pocket zippers was stuck for weeks, until a friend fixed it yesterday.

I have a North Face ski jacket that is 17 years old and is in great shape and keeps me warm and dry. I have a second light weight gore-tex jacket by North Face that is 14 years old of similar quality also in great shape. And I have worn these things to death and continue to wear them all the time during appropriate weather. My experience is that at least the line of North Face that I have is much higher quality then the many other jackets I have had come and go over that same period from LLBean and Lands End. I find them to be well worth the money for the quality and durability. I don't worry about whether they are trendy or a fad or not I've had them for so long that is completely irrelevant to me.

I found this thread on another website. Clearly, I have nothing better to do, so I am sharing it with you.

"You have to watch with North Face because they have two different quality levels. The products they sell in outdoor and sporting goods stores tend to be higher quality than Columbia BUT the pile jackets North Face sells at their discount mall "outlets" are garbage. The other answers have some good advice -- instead of worrying about the brand, you should look for the weight and type of fleece and the cut and style. Polartec comes in different weights -- type 300 is the thickest and the windproof versions are going to be warmest in windy conditions. Look for a high collar, cuffs that block wind and draft flaps over the zipper. A longer coat that covers your lower back and hips will keep you warmer than a short jacket. Also, the heaviest coat will do you no good if you don't cover your head with a good hat -- most of your heat loss is through your head and neck. Also, wearing a windshell over the fleece jacket you have will help keep you warmer and be more versatile than one heavy jacket. Fleece (except the windproof) tends to work better as an insulating layer than alone, especially if you are not doing active sports.

Other very good brands are Marmot and Mountain Hardware."

we are in Boston now and EVERY SINGLE mom here has the long black NF jacket

Ah, I remember the days when only die hard mountaineers wore them. And city bike messengers.